We talk a lot about fear of failure and how it can impede the progress of an entrepreneur, but we rarely talk about the opposite barrier that can be just as difficult to overcome - the fear of success.
For some entrepreneurs, the fear of success can be even an more powerful barrier to moving forward.
During a recent conversation with several entrepreneurs, one of the group mentioned that she didn't know what was holding her back - that the more things that fell into place, the more she found herself putting off and even unconsciously sabotaging the next step to reach her goal.
She had come face to face with the reality that what was actually holding her back was an unspoken fear of what might actually happen should she succeed.
Success doesn't come in a vacuum - expectations are higher, demands are greater and failures are more visible.
If you succeed in growing your company and become part of a bigger team, your commitment is no longer just to yourself - it is to every individual who is trusting you to do everything humanly possible to deliver on the company's goals. And as those goals are successfully achieved, the demands grow exponentially to meet the growing collective needs of the team.
Being completely committed to meeting the demands of success is the only way forward.
Success beats us up almost as much as failure, because it makes us dig deep, stretch past our comfort zone, face our fears, face our flaws, face the dysfunction in our personal lives.
If, for whatever reason, you are fearing success, understand that it is not necessarily a bad thing - it means you are aware that there is a price to pay for moving forward, that it will change your life, your thoughts, your days.
If you are to move forward, you have to want success more than you want to protect yourself.
Fear of success isn't a feeling that should be allowed in the driver's seat - it is simply a checkpoint on the journey that allows you to prepare for what lies ahead.
If that fear results in settling for mediocrity, you'll never know that other side of that fear - the satisfaction and thrill of witnessing a vision of what could be when it becomes reality.
The joy of success is a far more powerful driver than the fear of what success might change.
So take the leap, commit to being all-in. While success has a price, the rewards are so much greater than whatever you are imagining it will require of you.
Originally published on Broad Insights via Inc Magazine